Shivangi Sinha
In February 2020, authorities were investigating the death of Scott Sessions, a man from Greeley, Colorado. During the investigation, their focus turned to Kevin Eastman, the ex-boyfriend of a woman Scott had recently been seeing. Although initial evidence against Eastman was minimal, police suspicion grew. While under surveillance, he was arrested after being caught burying items on a farm. During the course of the investigation, it was also discovered that the woman, Heather, had been found dead on the same property. NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Last Weekend’ explores how investigators ultimately apprehended Eastman and the compelling evidence that led to his arrest.
Kevin Eastman’s Movements After Scott Sessions’ Death Raised Police Suspicion
The last time anyone heard from Scott Sessions was on February 7, 2020. He had informed his father that he was heading to Fort Collins, Colorado. However, Scott never showed up for his scheduled performance on February 10, where he was supposed to play the trumpet. That same morning, his remains were discovered in Poudre Canyon, Colorado. When police were notified, they began tracing his phone activity, which led them to a signal ping from a grocery store parking lot. Upon reviewing the store’s CCTV footage, investigators spotted a man dropping off Scott’s on the same day the latter’s body was found. However, the footage didn’t provide enough clarity to identify the suspect immediately.
What led the police to focus on Kevin Dean Eastman, a man who had spent years working in Colorado’s oil fields, was his connection to Heather Frank. He also had prior convictions for assault, weapon possession and driving while impaired. Heather had been exchanging messages with Scott Sessions, and on February 8, some texts were sent from her phone inviting him to her home. As part of their investigation, authorities began monitoring Heather’s activities. During surveillance, they noticed Eastman’s car parked outside her house, and it was covered in mud that closely matched the terrain near where Scott’s remains were discovered. Heather and Eastman were under surveillance, and police reviewed their phone records. It was revealed that all three phones—Scott’s, Heather’s, and Eastman’s—had been in close proximity for nearly 12 hours on the same day Scott visited Heather.
The police acted on instinct and intensified their surveillance on both Eastman and Heather. As they dug deeper, they uncovered that the two had been involved in a long, on-again-off-again relationship. Some of Heather’s close friends even alleged that Eastman had been abusive toward her, and records showed she had filed a report against him in 2019. Investigators also reviewed CCTV footage of a Subaru station wagon from the road leading to Poudre Canyon on the morning of February 9 and guessed it was Eastman’s. Through ongoing surveillance, authorities observed the two of them getting into his car on February 15 and driving to a farm in Weld County.
Kevin Eastman Was Charged With Two Murders After an Interrogation
The detective on duty attempted to follow Kevin Eastman that night, but the darkness made it too difficult. He decided to pick up the trail the next morning. However, when he checked the GPS data, he discovered that Eastman’s car had been on the move throughout the night and that he had made several stops across the countryside. The detective returned to the farm and found him standing in front of a burn pile. When he was leaving to get more fuel, officers arrested him on the spot and brought him in for questioning. During the interrogation, he claimed he had loved Heather deeply and had even proposed to her three times. However, he said she had turned him down each time.
Eastman insisted he had nothing to do with the murders. During his police interview, he became emotional and even dropped to his knees in prayer. However, partway through the questioning, investigators received news that Heather’s remains had been discovered on the same farm. She had been shot twice. Based on this development, police formally charged Eastman with two counts of murder. They alleged that Eastman had impersonated Heather by sending messages to Scott, lured him to her home, and then killed him in a fit of jealousy. They also alleged that his history of violence played a role in Heather’s death, as she may have known too much about what had happened and became a target because of it.
Kevin Eastman is Serving a Life Sentence Today
In June 2022, Kevin Eastman’s trial commenced, during which he continued to deny any involvement in the killings. His defense team argued that Heather Frank was responsible for Scott Sessions’ death and that she herself had been murdered by the owner of the farm where her remains were found. Despite this, the jury found Eastman guilty on two counts of first degree murder, two counts of tampering with a deceased body, and two counts of tampering with evidence. Additionally, a domestic violence enhancer was added to one of the murder charges. Eastman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Now 53 years old, he is serving his sentence at the Fremont Correctional Facility in Fremont County, Colorado, where he will remain for the rest of his life.
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